Four teenagers found guilty of Thoriso Themane murder
TSB News reports that four of the six teenagers who assaulted 28-year-old Thoriso Themane in 2019 have been found guilty by the Limpopo High Court of his murder, while the other two were found guilty of common assault.
Two adults who were also accused of being part of the mob involved in the killing — Chuene Maleka and Alfred Mothapo — were found guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Themane’s brutal assault in 2019 was recorded on a cellphone video that went viral on social media.
The teens have not been named as they are minors.
Themane was assaulted at Fauna Park, Polokwane, and later died in hospital. According to Malabi-Dzhangi, the minors allegedly accused Themane of taking a cap that belonged to one of them.
During the trial, she said, the two adults denied all the allegations against them and said they never assaulted Themane, though they were at the scene.
“The two adult accused testified that the deceased was assaulted by the young offenders … They told the court that they could not stop the fight as the children were many. One of their friends, who was in a car with a baby, was trying to call the police but police never arrived at the scene.”
The matter has been postponed to February 24 for pre-sentencing proceedings.